Personal Experience With Marijuana
Trump said in a radio interview in 2016 that I never have smoked it.
He also wrote in one of his books, The America We Deserve, thats hes never used cannabis or any other drug. Ive never taken drugs of any kind, never had a glass of alcohol. Never had a cigarette, never had a cup of coffee, he said.
In an interview with Fox News in 2016, Trump said, No I have not . I would tell you 100 percent because everyone else seems to admit it nowadays Ive never smoked a cigarette either.
Part of his aversion to drug use seems to be linked to his brothers death from alcoholism. He had a profound impact on my life, because you never know where youre going to end up, Trump said.
That said, the president said on several occasions during his first election bid that he personally knows people who have benefitted from using medical cannabis.
Sheriffs As Trumps Voter Intimidation Enforcers
Trumps call for sheriffs to monitor for fraud is an echo back to a violent era when they kept black people from voting in places like Selma. Americans who marched to protest police violence after Floyds murder must march/mail to vote in the same numbers
Joyce Alene
Rural sheriffs represent the core of Trumps political base. From his earliest days in office hes courted their allegiance, posing for after after with a revolving chorus of rural sheriffs. In August, Trump to intimidate voters at the polls, using nonexistent voting fraud as a pretext.
His first official act of mercy was to pardon one of the most sadistic, racist, and corrupt sheriffs in America, Arizonas notorious Joe Arpaio. Hes advised dirty cops to please dont be too nice to people taken into custody. Hes defended and openly supported some of the most obscene incidents of cruelty.
White House Chief Of Staff John Kelly
- During a speech on April 18, 2017, Kelly clarified DHS’ stance on marijuana, saying, “And let me be clear about marijuana. It is a potentially dangerous gateway drug that frequently leads to the use of harder drugs. Additionally, science tells us that it is not only psychologically addictive but can also have profound negative impact on the still developing brains of teens and up through the early 20s. Beyond that, however, its use and possession is against federal law and until the law is changed by the U.S. Congress we in DHS are sworn to uphold all the laws on the books. DHS personnel will continue to investigate marijuanas illegal pathways along the network into the U.S., its distribution within the homeland, and will arrest those involved in the drug trade according to federal law. CBP will continue to search for marijuana at sea, air and land ports of entry and when found take similar appropriate action. When marijuana is found at aviation checkpoints and baggage screening TSA personnel will also take appropriate action. Finally, ICE will continue to use marijuana possession, distribution and convictions as essential elements as they build their deportation / removal apprehension packages for targeted operations against illegal aliens. They have done this in the past, are doing it today, and will do it in the future.”
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What Is The Proposed Senate Bill To Legalize Marijuana
The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act is a separate marijuana-legalization bill being drafted in the Senate. It would end the federal ban on cannabis and give state-compliant cannabis businesses access to financial services like bank accounts, business loans and credit card transactions.
In a letter sent in February, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Senate Finance Committee Chair Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Cory Booker invited their colleagues in the upper chamber to help finalize the legislation.
The Senate plans to introduce its own cannabis legalization bill this spring.
“Hundreds of millions of Americans live in states that have legalized cannabis in some form while it remains illegal at the federal level,” the lawmakers wrote. That discrepancy “breeds confusion and uncertainty,” they said, and raises questions in areas from small-business growth to public safety.
In a February press conference, Schumer said he was hoping to introduce a bill by April. “As majority leader, I can set priorities. This is a priority for me,” Schumer said, according to Bloomberg.
Per NJ Cannabis Insider, Booker said that the bill is nearly written and he hopes to introduce it in the Senate by April 20, the unofficial holiday for marijuana.
Is Dr Oz Going To Make The Pennsylvania Senate Race About Marijuana
Though its still unclear whether celebrity television doctor Mehmet Oz or former hedge-fund CEO David McCormick will be the Republican nominee in this falls U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania in the ongoing recount, Oz held onto a lead of less than 1,000 votes as of Tuesday morning neither man has quit the campaign trail.
Just a few days after the primary, the Donald Trump-endorsed Oz tried to stake out a position that might separate him from his presumptive opponent, John Fetterman, the states Democratic lieutenant governor.
If Fetterman supports legalizing marijuanaand he definitely doesthats something Oz opposes, as he told Newsmaxs Greg Kelly.
NEWTOWN, PA – MAY 17: Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz greets supporters after the … primary race resulted in an automatic re-count due to close results on May 17, 2022 in Newtown, Pennsylvania. The television personality who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, is in a highly contested race against Kathy Barnette and David McCormick.
You know, there are not enough Pennsylvanians to work in Pennsylvania, so giving them pot so they stay home is not, I dont think, an ideal move, said Oz, who added that marijuana may be a hindrance to giving Pennsylvanians back their mojo.
Ozs campaign did not respond to requests for comment. But taking the merits of his statement aside, as political strategy, choosing to draw a line at marijuana legalization is questionable.
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Trump Camp Tells Group To Stop Using His Name In Medical Marijuana Legalization Effort
JACKSON, Miss. President Donald Trumps campaign is telling a Mississippi group to stop saying that Trump supports a ballot measure that would legalize medical marijuana in the state.
Mississippians for Compassionate Care is a group promoting Initiative 65. It paid for a letter signed by several prominent Republicans, and the outside of the envelope said: Join President Trump and 3 out of 4 Mississippi Republicans who support medical marijuana.
The letter said: President Trump Supports Medical Marijuana … and allowing states to decide on that issue.
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Michael Glassner, chief operating officer of the Trump campaign, sent a cease and desist letter to the group Oct. 12, and opponents of Initiative 65 released Glassners letter Tuesday.
This unauthorized use of the Presidents name in support of your groups cause is unfair to Mississippi voters who may be led to vote Yes on Initiative 65 on the false belief that President Trump supports the measure, Glassner wrote. Therefore, let us be clear about this: President Trump has never stated his support for passage of Initiative 65 or the legalization of medical marijuana in Mississippi.
Initiative 65 would allow patients to use medical marijuana to treat debilitating conditions, as certified by physicians.
An alternative measure that is also on the Mississippi ballot, Initiative 65A, would allow patients with debilitating conditions to use medical marijuana. It says the state would create a program based on sound medical principles.
Jamie Grantham, communications director for Mississippians for Compassionate Care, said in a statement Tuesday that the group had accurately portrayed Trumps position on medical . She said that politicians and bureaucrats opposing Initiative 65 clearly orchestrated this letter from the Trump campaign.
Its just the latest example of the lengths to which they will go to prevent any form of medical marijuana in Mississippi, Grantham said. President Trump himself has said he supports medical marijuana and is letting the states decide.
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Bill To Legalize Marijuana Passes Us House But Faces Dim Prospects In Senate
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed a bill to end the federal ban on marijuana, which has created legal headaches for users and businesses in the states that have legalized it, though the measure was seen as unlikely to pass the Senate.
It passed by 220-204, with few Republicans supporting the measure.
The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, sponsored by Democratic Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York, which is in the process of legalizing the drug, removes marijuana from the list of controlled substances and eliminates criminal penalties for individuals who grow, distribute or possess it.
But the MORE act will need to gain 60 votes in the evenly divided Senate before moving to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature, an outcome widely seen as unlikely given the lack of Republican support for the measure.
The bill would “end decades of failed and unjust marijuana policy,” Democratic Representative Ed Perlmutter said on the House floor on Thursday ahead of the vote. “It is clear prohibition is over. Today we have an opportunity to chart a new path forward on federal cannabis policy that actually makes sense.”
He added that the bill does not force any state to legalize marijuana.
Because federal law classifies cannabis as an illegal drug with no medical uses, researchers are severely limited in how they can study the drug and its impacts, making policy difficult to write.
Trump Will Veto The More Act
Consider this scenario. Lets say Trump remains in office but Democrats retain the House and take control of the Senate. Under those circumstances Congress could pass the MORE Act, which would end federal cannabis prohibition.
But the House and Senate would be led by Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, whom Trump considers his mortal enemies. Passing legalization could be seen as a win for them.
Trump would likely veto the MORE Act out of spite. Democrats wouldnt have enough votes to override his veto, and legalization would die.
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President Trump Reiterates His Administration Will Let States Legalize Marijuana
President Donald Trump reiterated Friday that his administration is allowing states to set their own marijuana policies.
At a press briefing Friday, the president was asked by DC Examiner reporter Steven Nelson whether cannabis would be federally legalized while he was in office.
Nelson referenced studies showing that states with legal marijuana systems experience fewer opioid overdoses.
Were going to see whats going on. Its a very big subject and right now we are allowing states to make that decision, Trump said. A lot of states are making that decision, but were allowing states to make that decision.
The comments come one day after the surgeon general issued a warning against the use of cannabis by adolescents and pregnant women.
Though this isnt the first time Trump has expressed support for a states rights approach to marijuana policy, its one of very few times the president has been asked directly to weigh in on the issue.
During his presidential campaign, Trump said he supports medical cannabis legalization and that broader legalization should be a state issue, state-by-state.
In June 2018, the president was asked again by Nelson about bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senator Cory Gardner that would protect states with legal cannabis systems from federal intervention. Trump said that he really supports the bill.
I know exactly what hes doing, he said. Were looking at it.
Reason #: Trump Supports States Rights
Cannabis legalization has already passed the tipping point. A growing majority of states have already legalized cannabis in some form.
As we can see in the graphic below, 33 states have legalized medical marijuana. And 11 states have approved recreational use. A handful of others have decriminalized or otherwise softened their cannabis laws.
Thirty-three states, plus Washington DC, have legalized medical marijuana
There is more to come.
Lawmakers in Minnesota recently unveiled a bill to legalize recreational cannabis.
New Jersey will vote on recreational legalization in the November elections.
Cannabis legalization could also be on the ballot this fall in Arizona, Mississippi, South Dakota, and other states.
Also, in many of the states that have or will legalize cannabis, the tax revenue will exceed that of alcohol and tobacco. In other words, cannabis is already a permanent part of many state budgets.
Heres the bottom line.
Trump insiders have explicitly stated that Trump is in favor of letting the states decide the issue. In other words, federal legalization.
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Trump V Biden: Cannabis Legalization
With the 2020 presidential election just days away, the future of cannabis legalization will likely rest on the shoulders of whoever is sitting in the Oval Office on January 20, 2021. So where do Donald Trump and Joe Biden stand with respect to the cannabis industry? The Cozen OConnor Public Strategies team brings you perspectives from both sides of the election spectrum.
Second Trump Administration
White House
With a successful re-election wiping away any concerns about the potential political or electoral advantages of neutrality, President Trump and his political allies in the White House would likely be openly hostile to the cannabis industry and all related ancillary businesses, in terms of both business and public policy.
Department of Justice
The DOJ is likely to continue providing restrictive guidance to administration agencies based on its interpretations of existing law.
Department of Homeland Security
In April of 2019, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued policy guidance to clarify that violation of federal controlled substance law, including for marijuana, remained a conditional bar to establishing good moral character for naturalization even where that conduct would not be an offense under state law. This policy would likely continue under a second Trump administration.
Food and Drug Administration
Congress
Biden Administration
White House
Department of Justice
Department of Homeland Security
Food and Drug Administration
Biden Must Take Racial Justice More Seriously
Currently, two bills that most directly address issues of racial justice, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, are stalled in Congress. They likely will be through the end of the session and into 2022.
However, Congressional Researchers say that legalizing marijuana is something Biden could do without Congress. Biden should consider legalizing marijuana as part of a racial justice agenda, because marijuana legalization and the current criminality of marijuana is inextricably tied to racial justice
Additionally, Biden should expunge the records of those previously convicted of nonviolent drug offenses as an acknowledgement of the realities of the war on drugs that its racist practices were wrong, unjust, and should not be whitewashed in history.
Black Americans are arrested for violating marijuana possession laws at nearly four times the rates of whites despite both racial groups using marijuana at similar rates. That adds up to a lot of arrests. In 2019, more people were arrested for marijuana than were arrested for all violent crimes combined.
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